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St Mary's Church
HISTORY of St Mary's reproduced from the booklet with
By
kind permission of Robert Darley-Doran, Rector of Avington
The parish of Avington lies to the east of
Winchester in the Upper Itchen Valley, and occupies about 3,000 acres,
from the banks of the Itchen River to Cheesefoot Head. The parish
boundaries were drawn in such a way that its inhabitants could be largely
self-supporting: fish and fowl were abundant in and around the river,
along whose banks vegetables could be grown and reeds harvested.
On the higher ground arable crops could be
grown, and there was pastureland for sheep and cattle. In the centre of
the parish is Hampage Wood, which provided, game, timber and fuel. The
region was inhabited from earliest times, but 'Afintun' enters the
historical record in 961 when the Saxon King Edgar granted land here to
the Priory of Winchester, and the Bishop became patron of the living. The
Domesday Book records that it consisted of a church, a mill and some land,
and that it was reconferred on the Priory of St. Swithun's in 1301. In
1535 the Avington Estate was valued at £22.7s.8p., and was administered by
William Basing, cook and keeper of the priory granary. His presence would
suggest that Avington Manor had become an estate that the Prior used for
sport and recreation, for which it has always been ideally suited.
The ownership of Avington Manor passed from the Prior and Monks to the
Clerke family, and then, in the late 17th century, to the Bridges. On the
death of George Bridges in 1751, it passed to his kinsman. Henry Brydges,
2nd Duke of Chandos, whose son James, the 3rd and last Duke, made many
improvements to the estate. In 1768 he asked the Bishop of Winchester for
permission to replace Avington's flint and stone Saxon church - "an old
low building ... dark and incommodious for the parishioners ... ruinous
and decayed" with a new one that would be architecturally in keeping with
his newly-enlarged manor house.
His first wife, Margaret Marchioness of
Carnarvan, gave £2,500 for the rebuilding of the church, but died before
it had been completed in 1771. The 3rd Duke's only child, a daughter,
married the Earl Temple, who later became the Duke of Buckingham and
Chandos.
It would appear that Avington was a happy place in the 19th century.
During the agricultural riots of 1830 the labourers of the estate stayed
loyal to the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, and, headed by the Reverend
Robert Wright of Itchen Abbas, they drove off a hostile mob from
Winchester and Easton who planned to attack Avington House. An entry in
the Hampshire Chronicle for December 29th, 1834 describes the caring
attitude of the Duke and his wife: "The Duchess of Buckingham, whose
extensive charities are constantly experienced by the poor in the
neighbourhood of Avington Park, distributed on Christmas Eve upward of 800
poor persons of the parishes of Avington, Easton and Martyr Worthy a
plentiful supply of beef, strong beer and articles of clothing." When the
Duchess died in 1836, Avington Church was overflowing with people wishing
to pay their respects at her funeral. She was buried in a glass coffin,
beneath the floor on the north side of the church.
The estate passed to the Shelley family in July, 1848, following the
bankruptcy of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. Like their
predecessors, the Shelleys seem to have been good landlords, and were
always willing to sponsor local fetes and the Maying festivities. In 1851
John Shelley carried out major repairs and improvements to the houses on
the estate, and the estate workers enjoyed a higher standard of living
than those labourers who lived in 'open' villages.
After the death of Sir Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1952, the house and stables
were disposed of. Subsequently, in 1954, the estate office was wound up
when the village, the park and various farms, consisting of 2012 acres,
were sold following the death of Sir John Shelley, Sir Percy's brother.
The house itself was bought by Lt. Col. and Mrs. John Hickson, whose
family continue to live there.
THE CHURCH
The Benefice of the Itchen Valley consists of the villages of Easton,
Martyr Worthy, Itchen Abbas and Avington. St. Mary the Virgin, Avington is
one of the most attractive and unspoilt Georgian churches in the country.
It has remained virtually unaltered since it was built in 1771 - a fitting
memorial to Margaret Brydges and the unknown architect whom she employed.
It is impossible not to draw the conclusion that it was designed and built
as a deliberate derivation from the church at Little Stanmore, Middlesex,
and, indeed, that the same design team of John James, James Gibbs and John
Price inspired both churches. Little Stanmore was rebuilt in 1715 by an
earlier James Brydges, then Earl of Carnarvon, who had become extremely
rich in his own right through being Mariborough's Paymaster General. He
received his earldom in 1714 and was created first Duke of Chandos in
1719. Handel became his Master of the Music for two years, hence the
famous Chandos Anthems. Little Stanmore also has box pews, a three-decker
pulpit and a gallery at the west end.
St. Mary's Avington could be described as a classic example of a
prayer-book church, with three liturgical centres - namely the altar, the
pulpit and the font - all clearly segregated. Prayer Book churches trace
their origins to the First English Prayer Book of King Edward VI (1549),
and were confirmed by the Second English Prayer Book of 1552, and the
English Settlement of 1559. Thereafter, for the next 250 years, the
Protestant Reformation was the chief influence on the layout and
furnishings in English churches, and by the end of the 18th century Prayer
Book furnishings, in varying layouts, had become the norm.
In the 1630's William Laud (enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633)
wanted to introduce more ritual into services, and encouraged the
positioning of the altar at the East end with a communion rail in front of
it. It is said that this rail was originally designed to keep dogs out of
the sanctuary, but it obviously became the convenient place to kneel to
receive communion.
While extensive changes were made to the other churches in the
neighbourhood during the 19th century, the Shelley family seem to have
been immune to spending money on alterations to Avington Church, which
continued to serve as a village church. However, the reredos panels, which
would originally have been brownish grey with black lettering were
repainted in gold on a blue background. One of the rector's wives is also
thought to have redecorated the woodwork and wrought iron communion rail
in bright colours in her spare time.
CHURCH INTERIOR
Starting at the barrel-vaulted roof, notice the window arches, the bowled
comers of the pews and the sweep up to the pulpit and the elaborate curls
of the communion rail, the chandelier and the oval rose from which it
hangs. This is a building which was planned, and has hardly been added to,
and you will feel how different it is from mediaeval churches. This type
of church can be found in the United States mostly in Virginia. The high
box pews are of mahogany, some with wig or hat pegs on the walls above.
St. Mary's was designed for sermons rather than for sacraments, and the
altar cannot be seen from the pews.
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| The pulpit is in the style of a
"Three-Decker", comprising a stall, lectern and pulpit, with a
tester intended as a sounding board topped by a carved dove. |
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In the musicians' gallery at the
west end is the barrel organ. This was given on Christmas Day 1849
by Mrs. Shelley, whose husband John (brother of the poet Percy
Bysshe Shelley) bought the Avington estate in 1848. The builder's
name cannot be found, but it is said that the work is similar to
that of Benjamin Flight or Henry Bryceson, who built many church
barrel organs. The organ was completely restored in in 1956. It was
then overhauled in 1995, and still plays many of the original tunes
on two barrels. |
Above the font are the arms of George III,
who was king when the church was built, as required by law7 after the
Restoration in 1660.
The nave is divided from the sanctuary by a wrought iron communion rail.
The 1559 Prayer Book instituted wooden communion tables in place of
altars, and in 1560 Elizabeth I ordered the display of The Lord's Prayer,
The Ten Commandments and the Apostles' Creed in all churches. These appear
on three panels on the reredos behind the communion table.
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| The Font |
The East end of the church has
a Venetian, or Palladian, window with inset stained glass made by James
Powell and Sons of Whitefriars Glassworks, London. The Archdeacon of
Winchester paid for the central light and the Rector, the Rev. Percy
Osmond, collected the balance of the £50 required from private donations.
It was installed in 1914 in memory of William Green, Rector 1872-1896. The
central panel shows Christ Crucified flanked by St. Mary and St. John. The
four roundels represent: right: Wheat, "the bread of life" . and a rose;
left. Grapes and a Lily. The Lily and the Rose are symbols of purity, and
are flowers that are often associated with the Virgin Maty, to whom the
church is dedicated. The bunch of grapes and ears of grain are symbolic of
the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
THE VINEGAR BIBLE AND 1715 PRAYER BOOK
The church owns a Bible and Prayer Book published by John Baskett of
Oxford in 1715 and 1717 respectively. Each book is covered in crimson
velvet with gold lace braid. Because the Prayer Book, was
printed before the Act of Union, it uses the word 'Kingdom' instead of
'Dominions' in the prayer for Parliament. One of the books has 'Canons'
written on the title page, and was probably brought from there by James
Duke of Chandos. The Bible is referred to as the Vinegar Bible (there are
a few of them in existence) because there is a printing error in the
Parable of the Vineyard where the word 'Vinegar' is used instead of
'Vineyard'. These were displayed until recently, but are now in
safekeeping.
A SPECIAL MEMORIAL MONUMENT
TO
MARGARET MARCHIONESS OF CARNARVAN
AT WHOSE EXPENSE THE CHURCH WAS BUILT BETWEEN
1768 AND 1771
TO THE MEMORY OF The Most Honble.
MARGARET MARCHIONESS OF CARNARVAN, the truly beloved Wife of JAMES BRYDGES
MARQUISS OF CARNARVAN, only Son of HENRY DUKE OF CHANDOS.
Her Exemplary Conduct thro' Life, when in the Vigour of her Health, and her
pious Resignation thro' her lingering Illness, can leave no Room to doubt, but
that her Soul is now enjoying in Heaven, those blessed Rewards, promised to the
pious on Earth, by a Mercifull God, thro' the Merits of a Compassionate
Saviour.- Her Life was one Scene of beneficent Actions. Religious without
Enthusiasm; Just without Severity; Charitable without Ostentation; Generous
without Profusion.- She was Blessed with Beauty, Rank and Fortune: All
which (tho' in an Age of Licentiousness, and Dissipation) She made the best Use
of.- The Complacency of her Features, Shewed the Innocence of her Mind: She
received Satisfaction from her high Rank, only as it gave her greater Power of
Enforcing good Examples.
And her Fortune which was great,
was only pleasing to Her, as She was Enabled thereby, to relieve the Miserable
and distressed, and to add to the Possessions of a Husband, whose Happiness and
Interests was her Constant care.
But Reader!Commiserate not her Fate (who doubtless is Compeatly blest) but the
unhappy Husband in losing, in the Prime of Life, the Virtuous Partner of His Bed
and Heart.- Best of Women! Most unfortunate of Men! Yet unworthy wou'd He be of
her Great Example, dared He to repine at the Wise Decrees of Providence.- Her
Ladyship was Daughter and Sole Heiress of JOHN NICOLL Esqr of Michenden House in
the COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, by Mrs MARGARET POOLE, Daughter and Heiress of BENJAMIN
POOLE Esqr of LONDON and Relict of JOHN KECK Esqr of Great Tew in the COUNTY OF
OXFORD.- She was bom the 3d February 1734, was Married the 22d March 1753. and
died the 14th August 1768, and was buried in the Family Vault at Whit-Church in
the COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX.
Amongst Many other Acts of
Piety, this Church was built from the Ground, by her Order, and at her Expense,
tho' it pleased God to remove her to a better World, a few Months before it was
begun.
CHURCH EXTERIOR
The South door of the church is approached by a path of gravestones embedded in
the turf. One of the most prominent gravestones still standing is that of Mr.
Joseph Cook , head coachman to the Duke of
Buckingham and Chandos. Further along the south wall of the churchyard are
memorials to past rectors.
The North and West doors are approached from the grounds of Avington House. The
doorways of alternating quoins of dressed Portland stone are a contrast to the
rich red brick of the building.
The style of building could be described as early 18th century. The tower is
divided by three prominent string courses with pilaster- buttresses at the
angles, the mock battlements evoking the medieval past.
The graveyard across the road was opened in the 1860's and contains the Shelley
family memorial.
BURIAL RECORD
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